Drexel tabs Penn’s Voelker as replacement for Bates as men’s coach

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/13/09

Drexel announced today that it has named Penn’s Brian Voelker as its new head men’s coach, replacing the recently departed Chris Bates. The announcement was made by Drexel Director of Athletics Dr. Eric Zillmer.

Voelker – a former standout on the Philadelphia Wings – has been the coach at Penn for the past seven years, posting a record of 42-51. He took Penn to the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and 2006. He previously was an assistant for Bill Tierney at Princeton and was an assistant at Johns Hopkins for five years before coming to Penn.

The coaching carousel began when Tierney took the head coaching job at Denver six weeks ago. Bates was hired to replace Tierney two weeks ago and took with him both Drexel assistants.

Voelker, a Johns Hopkins graduate, was also played on two World Championship teams, four professional league championship squads, one NCAA finalist team, and was a three-time All-America.

As the Blue Jays’ defensive coordinator from 1997-2001, Voelker helped lead Hopkins to the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Final Fours, as well as an NCAA quarterfinal appearance in 1998. His defenses held opponents to an average of 9.5 goals per game. Twenty-one of his letterwinners were named All-America, with seven earning first-team nods. He also coached the 1998 Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award recipient.

As a player at Hopkins, Voelker was a first-team All-America on defense in 1991, and a two-time third-team All-America recipient (1989 and 1990). He was a member of the Blue Jays’ 1989 NCAA finalist team and served as their team captain in 1991. He was also tabbed as Hopkins’ most outstanding senior player in 1991 (Sidney C. Erlanger Trophy) and as the Blue Jays’ most outstanding defensive player in 1990 and 1991 (1941 Team Shaffer Award).

Three years after reaching the NCAA championship game, Voelker returned, but this time in the orange and black of the Princeton Tigers as a member of their coaching staff. He served as defensive coordinator for the Tigers’ 1992 national championship squad and watched his defense produce the NCAA’s William C. Schmeisser Award recipient and his first Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award winner.

Success also followed Voelker as he made the transition from the collegiate to the international to the professional game. Representing the Stars and Stripes, Voelker played on the United States World Championship teams in 1994 and 1998, and was selected as the top defensive player and to the all-tournament team at the 1998 games.

Now retired, Voelker was a defenseman for the Long Island Lizards, the 2003 Major League Lacrosse Champions. In 2001, he guided the Baltimore Bayhawks to the inaugural championship game of the Major League Lacrosse while serving as the team’s head coach and assistant general manager. He also served as team captain for the Philadelphia Wings’ 1998 National Lacrosse League championship squad and was a member of the Wings’ 1994 and 1995 Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship teams as well.